The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Monday inaugurated a nine-man committee to give policy direction to the implementation of the State Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (CARES) programme designed to support livelihood of the poor and vulnerable households in the State.
The State CARES is a jointly developed World Bank-supported programme aimed at mitigating the effect of covid-19 pandemic on the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.
Governor Fayemi while inaugurating the committee member in Ado-Ekiti, to mark the formal activation of the CARES program in the state, explained that the program would also support budgeted state government interventions for farmers, artisans, Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) affected by the economic crisis occasioned by the pandemic.
The Steering Committee which is chaired by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon Femi Ajayi, according to the Governor, will work out modalities that would enable the State to benefit maximally from the World Bank’s Covid-19 intervention programme.
“It is also saddled with the responsibilities of supervising the coordination and delivery system to scale-up the emergency support; regulating guidelines to support effectiveness and sustainability of livelihood and food security activities; capacity building and any other necessary measures to enable the State achieve the Eleven Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIS),” he added.
The Governor charged the Committee to display deep commitment, experience, prudence, transparency and technical expertise that would guarantee a fruitful partnership that can be strengthened and sustained.
Dr Fayemi who also highlighted how the lockdown and other strict measures are enforced to curtail the spread of the pandemic practically affected global socio-economic activities, said the CARES programme was part of efforts by the Federal Government in collaboration with World bank and the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to address the debilitating effect of the pandemic on the most vulnerable sector of the country.
He said the implementation of the programme will not only allow state governments to enhance delivery of social safety net, assistance and basic service to the people but also increase food security and supply chain as well as facilitate recovery of household and micro enterprises from total economic collapse.
Others in the State CARES Steering Committee included the Special Adviser on Development Partnerships and SDGs, Mrs Margaret Fagboyo as Deputy Chairperson while the Director General, Office of Transformation, and Service Delivery, Professor Bolaji Aluko; Special Adviser, Social Investment Programme, Barrister Victor Kolade; Chairman, Ekiti State Community and Social Development Agency (EKCSDA), Chief Akin Fasae; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Mr James Folorunsho; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Olugbenga Odesanmi, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Adeleke Adefolaju are to serve as members and Mrs Bukola Ogunlade to act as secretary of the committee.
In his address, the Chairman of the CARES committee, Hon Femi AJayi commended Governor Fayemi for ensuring that all sectors affected by the pandemic were put into consideration and pledged the commitment of the committee to achieve required results in all the 11 Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs).
